Hi - this is my first post here!

I'm addicted to Pilot C4 gel pens - in the 0.4mm ball that is the only one available in the UK(?). I love their precision, the intense pigments, and the slightly scratchy smoothness that lets me always feel exactly where the tip is (I hate "drifty" rollerballs) and combines wonderfully with the seemingly infinite ink flow. They let me write as quckly as I like (which might not be a good thing) and allow me to sketch diagrams too. I know other people - i.e. heretics - think equally well of Sakura gelly rolls and what have you.

How do modern fountain pens compare to C4s (etc)? Which of those qualities above does one give up and where do you gain - especially if you're a liker of fine nibs and intense pigments? Do people tend to use gel pens for some jobs and FP's for others?

And if you knew a C4 addict, what pen would you recommend that he buy? I'm thinking of either a Vanishing Point or a Pelikan M200. With either one I would want a fine nib. I plan on filling with Noodlers - probably Bulletproof Black, but maybe Zhivago, Hunter, or Socrates once in a while. I'd obviously like to try before buying, but these are hard pens to get to try in my part of the UK. (In the meantime I just grabbed a Hero 329 off ebay out of curiousity - I'm told they're quite good, and I can always fill it with a Noodlers highlighting ink.)

What you like about the C4 rollerball feel on the paper is called "tooth" when talking about an FP nib. The modern FPs most noted for their tooth are the Auroras. They're very nice indeed, but a bit of a step up in price point from a rollerball.

The Sheaffer Triumph nibs of the 1940s and '50s, in fine point, very often have a wonderful sense of tactile connexion with the paper, without being in the least scratchy. A Sheaffer leverfiller, or Snorkel or Touchdown, with one of these nibs, would be quite affordable (somewhere in the USD50-100 range, for a nice, unrare example), but it would be hard to try before you buy. They also tend to write fairly dry, so getting the intensity of colour you want could be a problem. Aurora black is a very intense ink.

A Pelikan 200 would be an excellent choice, because it has interchangeable nibs. You could think of buying from Richard Binder, who adjusts and grinds nibs: you could specify just what you want, and the extra cost would be well worth it (what you describe in your post would be a pretty good description). There are other good nib tuners, but in this case it could be a one-stop deal.

Good luck and have fun

Michael

You might try a turn at a Lamy Safari with the Fine nib.

I think inks from Private Reserve may come closest to gel inks for color and saturation. I just did some scribbles comparing a Pilot G-2 blue and VP with Private Reserve American Blue. They're a different hue, but similar in intensity.

I think the main difference is that don't need any pressure to write with a fountain pen, and in fact, they require that you don't press very hard. So it depends on your style. The only way is to try it out.

Doug

P.S. BTW, I don't like Namiki/Pilot cartridge ink at all. They seem too pale to me, and that would probably be more so if you're used to gel pens. Just my opinion, of course...

"Tooth"...

I'll take a look at Auroras. And I do like the idea of a snorkel - I could always re-sell if I didn't like the pen.

I think I might very buy a Pelikan from Richard Binder if I go that route - and he also sells and customizes VP nibs.